Herbed Chicken Calzones

These turnovers are stuffed with a tempting mixture of chicken, ricotta and mozzarella. Fresh pizza dough can be found in the deli section at Publix or at Lazzaroli Pasta in the Germantown section of Nashville. Let's get cooking!

Herbed Chicken Calzones

2 tablespoons cornmeal

4 ounces skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into chunks

1 teaspoon olive oil

1/2 cup diced bottled roasted red peppers, drained and pat dry

2 tablespoons chopped scallion

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 cup ricotta cheese

2 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded

1 tablespoon chopped Italian parsley

1 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

pizza dough ball (12 inch crust yield)

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Dust two baking sheets with 1 tablespoon of cornmeal. Place the chicken in a food processor until ground medium-fine. In a medium, heavy no-stick skillet, warm the oil over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Crumble in the chicken. Add the roasted red peppers, scallions, salt and black pepper, and stir to combine. Cook, stirring and breaking up the chunks of chicken, for about 2 to 3 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. Transfer to a medium bowl. add the ricotta cheese, mozzarella, parsley and thyme to the chicken, and stir to combine. Divide the dough into four equal pieces. Shape each piece of dough into a flattened disk. On a lightly floured surface, with a floured rolling pin, roll out each piece of dough to a 7 inch circle. With a pastry brush, brush off any excess flour. Spoon 1/2 cup of the filling onto each circle, leaving a 1 inch border. Moisten the edge of the dough around the filling with a finder that has been dipped in cold water. Fold the dough over the filling and press the edges together to seal them. Gently press the filling inside the dough into any pockets in the dough. With a large spatula, transfer the filled calzones to the prepared baking sheets, placing 2 calzones on each of the baking sheets. Bake the calzones 17 to 20 minutes, or until the dough is well browned and crisp.

Share this article

Comments

Christina is a New York native that relocated to Nashville 16 years ago. She teaches Italian cooking classes, and loves to share her knowledge and family traditions with happy, hungry people. As a family-taught cook, she makes cooking satisfying, authentic meals an accessible and attainable goal. Christina can be reached at cucinatina@gmail.com or visit her blog, Tina in the Cucina.